Acoustic Imaging Pulse Interleaving for Low-Rate Receivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing acoustic and electromagnetic imaging systems face a trade-off between resolution, range, system size, and cost, requiring large and expensive equipment to achieve high resolution, and methods like Nyquist sampling can lead to information loss and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves transmitting multiple sound wave pulses with controlled delays and interleaving their reflections to expand the sample set, effectively doubling the bandwidth and resolution without increasing receiver complexity or cost, using techniques like Inverse Time Division Multiplexing (ITDM) to achieve higher angular and range resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If higher frequency signals are used to improve angular resolution, then angular resolution is improved, but propagation losses increase and range decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transmits multiple periodic pulses at the same lower frequency, spacing them to fall on different sample intervals. By interleaving the received samples from multiple pulses, the system synthesizes an expanded sample set equivalent to what would be obtained from a single high-frequency pulse, thereby achieving high angular resolution without the propagation losses associated with high frequencies
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from the frequency dimension to the time dimension by transmitting multiple pulses separated in time. Instead of increasing frequency to improve resolution, the system uses temporal separation and sample interleaving across multiple pulses to achieve the same resolution improvement, effectively moving the problem-solving approach to a different dimensional space
2Measurement precision
If higher A/D sample rates are used to improve range resolution, then range resolution is improved, but component and electronics costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sampling process across multiple transmitted pulses. Instead of using a single high-sample-rate A/D converter, the system uses a lower sample-rate converter multiple times, each time sampling a different pulse. The samples are then interleaved to reconstruct the high-resolution range data, dividing the expensive high-sample-rate conversion into multiple affordable low-sample-rate conversions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates multiple copies of the sampling process at lower rates. By transmitting repeated pulses and sampling each at the same lower rate, then interleaving the samples, the system synthesizes an expanded sample set that equals what would be obtained from a single high-rate sampling operation, using cheaper replicated low-rate sampling hardware
3Measurement precision
If larger transducer arrays are used to improve angular resolution, then angular resolution is improved, but system size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the frequency parameter in the resolution equation by synthesizing a higher effective frequency through sample interleaving. By expanding the sample set from multiple pulses to achieve an equivalent higher frequency, the system improves angular resolution without needing to increase the physical array length, since angular resolution is proportional to frequency for a given array size
4Measurement precision
If repeated pulses are transmitted to expand the sample set, then bandwidth and resolution are doubled, but transmission time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses exactly two repeated pulses, which is the minimum number needed to double the bandwidth and achieve the desired resolution improvement. This partial action (using only two pulses rather than more) achieves the sufficient enhancement in resolution and bandwidth while minimizing the additional transmission time required
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for improved resolution and reduced costs by doubling the effective bandwidth and angular resolution while maintaining data integrity, using techniques like ITDM to enhance imaging capabilities without the need for more expensive equipment.
Implementation Method 1
transmitting, from a transmitter, a first sound wave pulse
Implementation Method 2
receiving and sampling, at the receiver, a reflection of at least two of: (i) the first and (ii) the at least one second sound wave pulses
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c~1d
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
A method for use in acoustic imaging, comprising: transmitting, from a transmitter, a first sound wave pulse at a first frequency determined by a maximum sampling rate of a receiver; transmitting at least one second sound wave pulse at a frequency substantially equal to the first frequency, the first and at least one second sound wave pulses being transmitted substantially within a fraction of a sample interval of the receiver; receiving and sampling, at the receiver, a reflection of at least two of the first and at least one second pulses to generate a set of receiver samples; and expanding the set of receiver samples, based on the first frequency and a total number of the first and at least one second pulses transmitted, to generate an expanded sample set with a larger number of samples than the set of receiver samples.